Automatic stock-feeding device.



L. A. ROGGENSAGK.

AUTOMATIC s'rocx FEEDING DEVICE.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN.27, 1908.

Patented Nov. 2, 1909.

mnnsw. a. GRAHAM 20., PNDYO-LITHOGRAFNERS, wAsmNcruN, u. c.

LUTIE A. ROGGENSACK, OF BALFOUR, NORTH DAKOTA.

AUTOMATIC STOCK-FEEDING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 2, 1909.

Application filed. January 27, 1908. Serial No. 412,945.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LUTIE A. RoGenNsAoK, citizen of the United States,residing at Balfour, in the county of McHenry and State of North Dakota,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in AutomaticStock-Feeding Devices, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improve- 1 ments in stock feedingdevices and has for its primary object to provide a device of thischaracter embodying novel means for automatically discharging the feedfrom a hopper into the feed box at a predetermined time.

The invention further contemplates an automatic stock feeding devicewhich is actuated by the alarm mechanism of a clock and serves todischarge the feed when the alarm is sounded.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a stock feedingdevice which is simple and inexpensive in its construction, which can bereadily mounted in an operative position and which will be positive andreliable in its action.

For a full understanding of the invention and the merits thereof andalso to acquire a knowledge of the details of construction and the meansfor effecting the result, reference is to be had to the followingdescription and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view, and Fig. 2 a sectional view through thehopper.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the samereference characters.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 1 designates the hopper which isdesigned to contain the feed and from which the feed is discharged at apredetermined time into a feed trough located below the same. The bottomof this hopper is normally closed by a swinging door 2 which is hingedat its upper edge to the hopper and is provided at its lower edge with acatch 3, the said catch being designed to engage an opening a in a slide5 to lock the door in a closed position. An arm 6 rejects outwardly fromthe upper portion 0 the door 2 and is connected to one side of thehopper by means of a spring 7 which tends to hold the door in a closedposition. However, when the catch 3 is released by a downward movementof the vertical slide the weight of the feed within the hopper overcomesthe action of the spring 7 and swings the door 2 into an open position,whereupon the feed drops from the hopper into the feed trough locatedunder the same. The slide 5 is shown as mounted within a pair of keepers8 applied to the back of the hopper and has the upper end thereofloosely connected by means of a link 9 to one corner of a triangularplate 10 which constitutes in effect a bell crank lever. This plate 10is pivoted at one of its corners upon the back of the hopper and has theupper end thereof connected by a cable 12 to a pair of double pulleys18, the said pulleys being connected to the wall or other suitablesupport at 1 1 and being also connected to each other by a cord 15 whichserves to limit the amount by which the pulleys themselves can be drawnaway from each other. The cable 16 for operating the double pulleys 13passes around the pulleyor guide member 17 and has a weight 18 appliedto the extremity thereof. A plate 19 is also applied to the cable 16 andis formed with an opening designed to receive the end of a rod 20arranged transversely within a casing 21 and projecting through anopening 22 in one side thereof. When this rod is held in operativeposition and engages the opening in the plate 19, the weight 18 issupported thereby and does not produce ten sion in the cable 16. Theinner end of the rod 20 bears upwardly against one end of a horizontallever 23 which is pivoted between its ends upon one side of the casing21, the opposite end of the lever engaging the upper end of an uprighttrigger 24 which is also pivoted between its ends. When this trig ger 24is swung under the lever 23 the said lever is held against any swingingmove-.

ment such as would be caused by the pressure of the rod 20 thereon andthe rod 20 is retained in an operative position. However, when thetrigger 24 is swung out of engagement with the lever 23, the said leverturns about its pivot and releases the rod 20 whereupon the plate 19becomes diselr gaged from the rod and the weight 18 drops. and producestension in the cable 16 and operates the double pulleys 13. In thismanner tension is also produced in the cable 12 and the plate 10 swungabout its pivot in such a manner as to move the slide 5 downwardly andpermit the door 2 at the bottom of the hopper to swing outwardly into anopen position. As soon as the feed within the hopper has been dischargedthe spring 7 again closes the door 2. A spring 25 which is connected tothe slide 5 normally tends to move the same upwardly, and a spring 26which is connected to a plate interposed in the length of the cable 12,normally tends to swing the plate 10 against the action of said cable12, the said springs serving to take up any slack in the cable 12 andnot being of sufiicient strength to interfere with the action of theweight 18.

An alarm clock 27 of the usual construction is designed to be placedwithin the easing 21 so thatthe winding key 28 of the alarm mechanismthereof engages one side of the trigger 24 at the lower end thereof. henthis winding key is in vertical position, the trigger can be swung underthe releasing lever 23 so as to hold the same in an operative position.The door 2 of the hopper is then locked in a closed position and thefeed securely retained within the hop per. However when the alarm issounded, the winding key 28 is caused to revolve and in so revolvingswings the trigger 24 from under the releasing lever 23 and frees therod 20. The weight 18 which is thereby released then operates aspreviously described to move the slide 5 upwardly and permit the door 2to swing upwardly and discharge the feed from the hopper. As shown onthe drawing the weight 18 is connected by a cord 29 to the wall or othersuitable support, the said cord supporting the weight when it reachesits lowermost position and thereby relieving the cables 16 and 12 of allunnecessary strain.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

In a stock feeding device, the combination of a hopper, a swingingclosure for the hopper, a catch for holding the swinging closure in aclosed position, a cable having an operative connection with the catch,a weight applied to the cable, a plate also applied to the cable, acasing, a rod extending transversely across the casing and projectingthrough one side thereof into engagement

